Originally published at Rare Virgin America is an offshoot of British entrepreneur Richard Branson’s Virgin Atlantic airline. Known for its distinctively customer-focused brand and fun aesthetic, Virgin America has operated in the United States since 2007 and has gained a loyal following. So when it was announced this week that Virgin America would be merging with Alaska…

Originally published at Rare In an election cycle dominated by talk of Donald Trump’s yuge wall, it seems the last thing on many voters’ minds is fiscal responsibility. Yet whether or not our national debt is at the forefront of political discussion, the federal gravy train chugs on and the consequences pile up. Unfortunately, the situation…

Originally published at Rare A poll released by Rasmussen this week indicates that likely American voters are wary of projects to spread democracy in the Middle East. “Only 28% of likely U.S. voters think the United States should do more to encourage the growth of democracy in the Islamic world,” reports Rasmussen. Further, “Fifty-eight percent…say the United…

Originally published at EveryJoe The long-brewing American opioid abuse crisis has reached epidemic levels. 2014 saw 29,000 opioid related deaths, the highest on record. And in 2013, drug overdoses were the leading cause of death in the United States. This issue stems in part from increased societal dependence on prescription painkillers, which if unchecked, can…

Originally published at Rare Cole Lyle is a 26-year-old veteran of the War in Afghanistan. Upon returning home to Texas, he faced what so many of his fellow soldiers contend with: Unrelenting bouts of Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome (PTS) that upended the life he’d known before his deployment. Burdened with the weight of carrying his…